Page 51 of Small Town Sash

"Seriously?" The words tumbled out before he could filter them.

"Seriously." Her tone was firm, conviction clear.

Braden whistled lowly. "Hadley Wilder, designer extraordinaire. Has a nice ring to it."

"Doesn't it just?" A genuine smile replaced her earlier hesitation.

"Can't say I saw that coming," he admitted.

"Neither did I until I had the time to think about it without pageants blurring my vision." She looked at him then, a quiet strength in her gaze. "But I'm happy about it. Truthfully, I've never been happier."

"Good." He nodded, impressed. "You should be. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Braden." Her gratitude was palpable. "And I appreciate you standing up for me. That means a lot, even though I'm choosing not to compete."

"That's okay. You need to find your own path," he continued, "that's brave."

"Or crazy," she kidded, her humor peeking through.

"Bit of both," he agreed with a chuckle. "Best kind of people are, though."

Hadley laughed, the sound light and free. It was the laugh of someone who'd shed a weight they'd been carrying far too long.

Braden fished a folded piece of paper from his pocket and held it out to Hadley. "Before you dive too deep into those designs, I've got something for you."

"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow, curiosity lighting up her blue eyes as she reached for the note.

"First clue," he said with a hint of mischief. "For the scavenger hunt I made for you."

Unfolding the paper, she read aloud, "'Where tails wag and we first teamed up.'" A knowing smile spread across her face. "The dog park."

"Got it in one guess. Impressive." Braden's brown eyes twinkled with anticipation. "Now we just have to go there."

Hadley grinned, tucking the note inside her pocket. "This sounds like fun. Lead the way, Sergeant."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Braden gave a playful salute, guiding her from the dress shop and out onto the sidewalk.

They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the park. Dash immediately bounded up, wagging his tail and heading for the play area as Danny waved goodbye and took off to leave them alone.

The park was fairly quiet, save for a few other canine owners tossing balls and frisbees. Braden led Hadley toward a bench overlooking the open field where Dash was now happily chasing after a thrown tennis ball.

"Here's your next clue," Braden said, pointing to the bench where an envelope lay propped up.

"'I'm often quiet but can be quite loud at times. People come to me for news, education, and entertainment, but I don't have a mouth. What am I?'"

"The library," Hadley guessed after several moments.

"You're really good at this," Braden told her with an impressed smile.

They went on a short walk over to the library, where the musty scent of books enveloped them as Hadley searched the shelves. Her fingers traced the spines until they paused on a book titled "Designs of the Heart."

"Subtle," she teased, pulling the book to find another note wedged between the pages.

"Thought you'd appreciate that," Braden replied, shrugging playfully.

"Some like me hot, some like me cold. Some prefer mild, some prefer bold. What am I?" Hadley read the next clue out loud. "The Coffee Loft," she shouted, a little too loud. Several of the library patrons shushed her, causing Hadley to giggle.

The garden behind the Coffee Loft was a quiet sanctuary amidst the town's bustle. They arrived to find a single red rose lying atop a stone table with an iced mocha to-go beside it.

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